A Wee Dram or Two at Glenmorangie Distillery, Tain

At the Glenmorangie Distillery in Tain, I gleaned the basics about whisky production. The three ingredients for making whisky are barley, water and yeast. But the alchemy depends on where that water comes from, how long the barley is malted, the shape of the stills and the skill of the master blender. These factors and more give each distillery’s whiskies their distinctive taste and style.
There’s no right or wrong way to drink single malts. Some are best enjoyed straight while others benefit from a few drops of water causing an exothermic reaction that heats up the whisky. Unlike peaty malts from the island of Islay and other regions of Scotland, Glenmorangie prides itself on having the tallest copper stills in Scotland that produce a very pure spirit with a very low phenol count. Our tour ended with a taste of the company’s ten-year-old malt, The Original, with a nose of luscious fruit and vanilla. Glenmorangie is the official spirit of the British Open and the Royal Dornoch Golf Club.